I talked a lot about how much I adored the Back to the Future movies. So much that this year, on its 35th anniversary, I wasn’t sure what else to talk about. But while I have discussed the movies there are other spin-off’s and homages in other media which I’ve never (or hardly) mentioned. So to celebrate this amazing movie let’s go over them today. A movie like this has enormous impact, even this many years later!!
The Soundtrack & DVD Releases.
Kind of a no brainer but worth a mention.I used to own a tape of the soundtrack (yes, I am that old). Yeah that music is that awesome to listen to. The Huey Lewis tracks aren’t bad either. There all kinds of extra features on the DVD’s including Doc Brown returning in a short film which was on the 30th anniversary blue ray (which is the only way to see it apparently). Plus There a very old special about the series hosted by Kirk Cameron of all people (I had that on VHS once before it became a bonus feature).
Back to the Future-The Ride
You can’t imagine my excitement going to Universal Studios in 1987 to this attraction. Even if the lines were two hours long. Of course, this ride is long gone. I mean, who cares about these movies anymore right? It was like Star Tours where you sat in a mock Delorean and travel to different time periods, chasing Biff who stole, something. I can’t remember. Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F Wilson reprise their roles. Not only was this ride awesome, but there were lots of memorabliea in the entrance way. I don’t feel right sharing it but a video of it is on YouTube, if you want check it out and get an idea how awesome this ride really was.
The Animated Series
I know I know, this is one I have mentioned and I made it no secret my disdain of it. One cool thing I will give the show, Christoper Lloyd used to do the intro’s in character as Doc Brown. The sad thing is, a animated series sounds like a good idea. If it’s done faithfully, then why not? Instead we got a show that went for 80’s silliness and way to much of it.
Comic Books
There was a short lived series in the 90’s which was based on the animated series (which were silly and nonsensical). But the more well known comics came out in 2015 by IDW. The cool thing with their series is that the stories not only explore the characters but they bridge the gaps of the movies. We see how Doc and Marty met, how the alternate time lines evolved, and what Doc and his wife did after building the train. They even clear up some of the plotholes in the movies. I sadly have not checked these out but really should some day. I am stunned that there were no straight comic adaptations of the movies.
Video Games
I have seen Back to the Future:The Game but never played. It’s a massive game even including some original voices. The cut scenes have been collected on YouTube, but it’s a very very long video to be honest. They did seem to do a nice job making the game work. In fact a lot of people consider the cut scenes an unofficial fourth movie. I am sad I never played any of the BTTF games because the movie lends itself to games quite easily. Of course there were many video games before this, with lesser and lesser quality. The old games having little to do with BTTF really aside from using the name. This Included a game boy one which I will hate myself for never having.
Rick and Morty
I don’t think this is a big secret, but in case you didn’t know this show is based on an animated short called “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti” which featured parodies of Doc and Marty. It’s…adult, to say the least. But a hit. The idea was morphed into Rick and Morty by Justin Roland and Dan Harmon. While the characters aren’t anything like Doc and Marty, aside from resemblimg them, the fact there connection goes all the way to Back to the Future makes it work a mention.
Cameos and Parodies in Media
This franchise is so popular that nods appear in all kind of media. Doc Brown appears in he tme machine to move the plot forward in “The Earth Day Special”. A clearly computer generated Delorean appears in “Ready Player One”. Doc also appears briefly in “A Million Ways to Die in the West”. And if you can find the clip of Marty and Doc appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Show from a few years ago, I recommend it! Of course the movies have been parodied to death with plenty of references in Simpsons and Family Guy. Heck even Muppet Babies did it once! Thomas F Wilson recently appeared on Legends of Tomorrow. And you better believe they dropped a BTTF reference in there. One of many BTTF references on that show.
Books
Oh the books my friends. Novelizations and other books which explore how the movies were made. From unauthorized guide books to adaptations of the film. FYI I loved the Back to The Future II adaptation it really explained a few plot holes from the film.
Stage Musical
Yeah this..was goimng to be a thing. This has been in development for a few years. Based on the movie with original music from the movies as well as new material. Early stagings had positive reviews. Why isn’t it a thing then? Blame COVID-19, yeah one of the many things ruined by this virus.
Back in Time
This was a very well made documentary about the Back to the Future franchise. The idea was to focus more on the fan love than the actual making of the movies. And while it is interesting to see just how crazy some fans are, the focumentary does get boring.
It’s amazing to consider that Back to The Future only had three movies. Yeah, that’s it. And yet the franchise is as popular as ever! I mean even Ghostbusters had a new movie finally released by now. That really speaks to how unique and special these movies are, that the fans are still as passionate 35 years later. In fact just recently there was a zoom cast reunion which is totally worth checking out.
No comments:
Post a Comment